All fun and games until someone gets hurt
by cozycatastrophe
Summary: The boys always played road trip games while John drove them around the country. It was enough to keep them busy during the long hours on the backroads of America. And there was always one game that was Dean's favorite.    The License Plate Game.


"What state are we in?"

"What? I don't know… Indiana, I think."

"Good. Ohio!" Dean cried before hauling off and slugging Sam in the shoulder.

"What the hell, Dean?" Sam shouted, allowing a hand to leave the steering wheel of the Impala to rub his surely bruised shoulder. He scowled as his brother threw his head back and let out an evil cackle.

"License plate game, Sammy!"

Damn it.

Sam groaned, shaking his head in protest. "No. No way. I hate that game."

"Only because I rock at it, you sissy," Dean shot back, smirking proudly.

Their father had started the game on a rather long drive from Bobby's place in Sioux Falls all the way to Maine. It was mainly to stop their bickering in the backseat, and to keep John sane through the long days of driving. The game kept them occupied and Dean had taken instantly to it, sitting higher in his seat in order to see the oncoming traffic. And when they had eventually reached whatever run down motel John had picked out for them that night, Sam's arm and shoulder were covered in red marks and soft purple bruises. Dean never outright hit his brother out of anger or otherwise, but the game had been far too fun to hold back.

That was until Sam's patience had run out somewhere near Albany and he had put a stop to the game when he called out "New Hampshire!" and gave Dean a rather nasty black eye. That had ended the game for the most part, at least until Dean brought it back into full force every few years out of boredom and the yearning to antagonize his little brother.

It had begun to be a bad idea when Sam began towering over Dean when they stood next to one another. But the older brother was never scared of the huge paws Sam now possessed or the strength of his swing. Dean would always be the big brother and would always prevail when it came to kicking Sam's ass.

"You're gonna regret starting this, Dean," Sam warned, pointing a finger at his smirking brother. Dean merely shrugged and settled down into his seat, green eyes focused and searching for another out of state plate on the nearly deserted two lane highway.

"Stop being a little bitch, Sammy."

…

A few hours had passed and Dean seemed to be winning, if the ache in Sam's shoulder meant anything. Dean was ever vigilant and Sam kept drifting back into driver mode instead of competitive license plate game mode, forgetting that his brother was on high alert. He'd go back to merely watching the road, mile markers and "Welcome to" signs at state borders before he'd be rudely reminded of the game with a scream of whatever intersecting but out of state plate they had just passed and a punch to the shoulder.

"Pennsylvania!" His brother's voice rang out, just as Sam was about to raise his fist and he opened his mouth to yell out the state's name. He winced as Dean's fist dug into the flesh of his shoulder with a smack.

"Damn it." Sam groaned as he gave an angry flick to the switch for the headlights, filling the road with artificial light as the sun began to set behind a group of trees. It was loud enough that neither brother heard what would have been a familiar sound of fluttering wings.

"Dean, why did you hit your brother?" A deep voice asked from the back seat, making both brothers jump. Dean whipped around and came face to face with their own personal guardian angel who had a rather confused look on his face. The eldest Winchester shook his head and laughed as he settled back into his seat. Sam glanced up at the rear view mirror to look at Cas, who was now leaning back in his own seat, still confused as hell.

Not that Cas being confused was anything new when it came to human hobbies and games.

"It's called the license plate game, Cas. When you see an out-of-state license plate, you hit the other person and call out the state," Dean explained to the angel, still looking at the road despite the sunrays that were beginning to glare directly into the Impala.

Stubborn ass.

"I don't see the entertainment in that…"

"You and me both, Cas," Sam replied, rubbing at his shoulder as he frowned at his smirking brother.

"No one likes a sore loser, Sammy."

"No one likes a di-"

"Ohio!"

"Ow! Cas, what the hell?" Sam nearly turned in his seat but quickly remembered that he was the one driving. Dean was nearly balled up in his chair laughing so hard he was turning red, and Cas, as usual, looked confused.

"But I thought the rules…"

Sam raised a hand and shook his head. "We're IN Ohio, Cas."

"Oh. Sorry."

The youngest Winchester bit back a scream before leaning forward and turning the stereo to near full volume.

…

It had grown fully dark by the time the Impala and her passengers were anywhere close to civilization. Sam could see a few highway signs signaling lodging coming up and a yawn escaped his mouth just as they passed them. It was time to pull in to one of the usual shady motels and get a few hours of shuteye. He could feel his eyelids pulling down, wanting to stay shut and fall asleep. But even Dean who had been hyped up on License-Plate-Game-Adrenaline was now softly snoring in the passenger seat.

Bad move, Dean.

Despite the exhaustion, Sam was still on the look out. He hadn't seen an out of state plate for at least the past fifty miles and he was growing irritated. The sooner he got one good hit, it would put an end to the game for at least another few months, if not longer depending on how badly he injured his brother. He'd even tell Cas not to heal whatever bruise showed up.

The angel had seemed infatuated with the game, although he had stopped playing after Sam had yelled at him. He was currently sitting quietly in the back and Sam was surprised when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. A quick glance and he noticed Cas was pointing out of the Impala's windshield at an oncoming car.

An oncoming car with an out of state plate.

Sam gave Cas a wicked grin before winding up for the final finish of this stupid game.

"NEW YORK!" He bellowed before swinging his entire right arm across the expanse between him and his slumbering brother, backhanding Dean with a massive fist right in the middle of his chest. The sound made was hollow and oh so sweet, especially as Dean bolted forward, his hands going to his heart as he tried to suck in the air that Sam had knocked from his lungs.

Sucker knew better than to fall asleep after he initiated the game.

"We done?" Sam questioned his brother, not bothering to look over at his handy work. He did catch the wide-eyed look Cas had on his face, but merely smiled. There was movement in the corner of his eye as Dean wheezed and quickly nodded, signaling the end of the game.

Shortest license plate game ever.


End file.
